Currently, in earthquake areas such as California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Canada, building codes require that light fixtures be "seismic proofed" by securing the fixtures with strong metal wires or chains to overhead beams and the like. The British Columbia Building Code permits a maximum of 12 inches of drop for a light fixture in a suspended ceiling. Installing wires and chains to secure light fixtures in suspended ceilings is an expensive and time-consuming process. Also, in many cases, installing wires or chains is difficult because the overhead beams to which the wires and chains must be secured are many feet away. In some cases, there is nothing solid to which the wires or chains can be secured.
A number of patents have been issued over the years disclosing brackets, dampers, frames, and the like for use in securing various objects against high wind, seismic activity, and the like.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor ______________________________________ 4,720,944 Loicq 4,073,107 Rousseau 4,472,916 Krebs 4,531,334 Nylander et al. 5,163,256 Fukumoto et al. 5,383,723 Meyer ______________________________________
Of these, Rousseau discloses a bracket for use on a curtain wall in a building. The bracket compensates for forces generated by high wind and the like. Nylander et al. disclose an earthquake-proof construction bracket. Fukumoto et al. disclose a seismic damper for a building structure. Meyer discloses an earthquake resistant electronic equipment frame.